


Gone

by kathasaurus_rex



Series: Baby Loki [8]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Neglect, Science Bros, Science Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-02 18:59:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathasaurus_rex/pseuds/kathasaurus_rex
Summary: Loki, kidnapped out of his bed, is rescued after 72 hours. This is the story of aftermath, and healing.





	1. Gone

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a highly requested prompt I have received for the Baby Loki universe, and I was suddenly inspired a few days ago. 
> 
> • This will be three chapters! 
> 
> • The first chapter is when Loki is neglected while in the kidnapper's custody. It is easily the darkest thing I have ever written for this universe. 
> 
> • PLEASE READ THE TAGS! If this isn't your cup of tea, don't read it or make yourself upset. 
> 
> • It will be angst with a happy ending! ♡
> 
> • Loki is FIVE in this snippet! 
> 
> Thank you,  
> Kath
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions made.

Loki did not know where he was. The last thing he remembered was Papa and Daddy tucking him into bed – Papa read him two books aloud, both men giving him a warm hug and kiss before leaving him to his goodnight guided meditations and snuggles with his Hawk-Bear.

And he woke up in a cage. It was small, and very cold, and he might have maybe had an accident. Daddy was going to be so disappointed in him.

Loki sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, whimpering. What was going on? Where was everyone?

“D-Daddy?” he called out. He moved his hands to grasp at the bars of the cage, and he looked out into the darkness. “Papa?”

No response. He bit his bottom lip to hold back a cry, and curled into a ball, arms wrapping around himself. He was so tired… he closed his eyes and imagined that it was Papa’s arms around him. With that, he was able to fall asleep.

///

“Wake up, kid!”

Loki jerked awake with a harsh squeak, pushing back against the cold bars. He was cold, and hungry. The room was no longer dark, but rather dimly lit, and there was an unfamiliar man standing outside the cage, looking down at him.

“Wh-Who are you?” Loki stuttered out, shivering. He tried to lick his lips and found them to be cracked. He could taste blood.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, wise guy.” The man replied. He took a granola bar from his pocket and tossed it into the cage. “Eat. We don’t need you dying on us.”

Dying? Loki began to shiver again, slowly reaching out to grab the food. It took a few tries to pull open the package, his fingers shaking, but then he was taking small bites of the granola bar, tears gathering in his eyes.

“Why am I here?” Loki questioned. “Can I go home soon?”

The man growled. “Shut up, kid. Goddamn, I don’t get paid enough for this shit.” He turned and stomped from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Loki broke into sobs, dropping the granola bar to the floor of the cage and pulling his knees up to his chest. He hated being alone even at the best of times, but the loneliness and that moment was suffocating.

What was he supposed to do? What would his family do? He wasn’t super like them… there really wasn’t anything he could do. He just had to wait.

But… what if they weren’t coming? What if they didn’t want to save Loki?

His heart was breaking. When he had cried all that he physically could, he ate a few more bites and curled back up. His pajamas had mostly dried and while he was very thirsty, the fatigue won out. He was asleep in minutes.

///

When the door opened the next time, it was a different man, one with a less menacing face. He just looked tired, kind of like Daddy after a long stint in the workshop. He didn’t talk – he simply took a package of fruit snacks out of his packet and slipped it through the bars of the cage, before sinking down to the tile floor of the room.

“I can’t leave until you eat that,” the man said, voice hoarse. “Can you open it yourself?”

Loki’s hands were shaking almost violently, and he shook his head. It hurt to blink – his eyes were crusty from crying so much.

The man reached in to grab it again and opened it easily before tucking it back inside. “Go ahead.”

Loki ate quickly. His stomach hurt a lot, but he was trying so, so hard not to have another accident. He didn’t want Daddy to be upset… if he ever saw his Daddy again… his eyes filled with tears, and he slid the empty package out of the cage before turning to lie down on his side, away from the man.

He waited until the door had opened and shut again before he let himself cry properly, wondering if he would ever run out of tears.

///

A group of three men came in and took pictures of him in his cage. Loki pressed his hands over his eyes until they yelled at him to look, and then he was crying, begging for them to please let him out, let him go home.

One of the men laughed. He kicked the cage before leading the other two out of the room, and then the door was slamming shut again.

No one was going to save him.

///

Something was happening outside of the room. Loki was propped up against the corner of his cage, blinking slowly at the door while he listened to the screams and gunshots. He knew that sound because Uncle Sam and Auntie Tasha had taken him to a veterans event where they had done a gun salute.

But he could hear many gunshots. What was going on? Were they coming in to hurt Loki? The boy begins hyperventilate, talking his head between his knees and choking on his own inhales.

And then the door opened, and Loki began to scream, pressing his hands over his ears and sobbing.

“P-P-Please don’t sh-shoot me!” he choked out. “Please!”

“Loki… Loki, honey, it’s okay.”

Loki continue to shake, and when the cage was opened and hands pressed his arms, he screamed louder.

“Get away! Get away!” Loki kicked out his feet, hitting a hard body. He squeaked when he was swiftly pulled from his cage and into a warm embrace. “Let me go, let me go!”

“Shh, sh sh,” a familiar gruffness voiced, arms enveloping him tighter so he couldn’t move, “You’re okay – Uncle Buck’s got you.”

Loki went slack, finally tilting his head back to look at the speaker. It was his Uncle Bucky! It even smelled like him! He definitely wasn’t a dream! Loki hiccupped and pressed his face to Bucky’s chest and cried, relaxing finally.

“I’ve got him,” Bucky barked into his comm, walking swiftly from the room. “Loki, honey, close your eyes and keep them closed, got it?”

Loki nodded, clenching his eyes shut and sliding his hands up and over his ears. It didn’t block out much noise, admittedly, but it was a small comfort. He focused instead on the smell of Bucky's body wash and the fabric of his tactical suit against his cheek.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually he was passed into another set of arms, and he began to scream, voice cracking.

“Open your eyes, squirt. It’s okay.”

Loki opened his eyes to see his Daddy's face swimming before him, and he sniffled, tears rolling down his dirty cheeks. “Daddy…” he said, pushing forward until he could smash his face against Tony’s neck, choking a bit. “I’m s-so sorry, Daddy!”

A warm hand rubbed up and down his back. “You have nothing to be sorry about, baby,” Tony said gently, nosing at Loki’s hair. “Daddy’s the one who needs to be sorry. And Loki, I am so, so sorry.”

Loki pulled back a bit, licking over his too-dry and cracked lips. “I… I had an accident, Daddy. I’m s-sorry.”

Tony looked horrified for a moment, before he schooled his face into something more neutral. “Baby, it’s okay. You… you had something really scary happen to you. Thank you for telling me, but it's okay. I promise.”

Loki let out a sob of relief and pressed back to Tony’s chest, letting himself be loved on as he let himself feel everything.

Tony held him close, looking over the boy’s head at Bucky, who was sinking down across from him on the jet, face grim. “Thank you,” he choked out, turning his head to look at Natasha and Sam. He let himself cry as well, not even trying to hide it.


	2. Returned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is examined by his pediatrician, and Bruce is reunited with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... the chapter count is up to four now! I'm hoping I won't have to increase it again, but we'll see what happens. 
> 
> ~ Lots of (probably inaccurate) medical stuff in this chapter! If that's not your cup of tea, please ignore this chapter and skip it.  
> ~ Loki is blocking most of the experience from his mind right now, but when he has his "briefing" with his Uncle Phil it's all gonna come out. Probably next chapter. 
> 
> Thank you all for being so supportive!
> 
> -Kath
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions made.

Bruce’s eyes fluttered open to see blue sky. He blinked slowly for a moment before trying to move, immediately aided by an arm hauling him up.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Steve said, pressing a pile of clothes to Bruce’s chest and forcing a smile. “Wanda has juice and fruit in the car.”

It didn’t feel right. Bruce glanced back up at the sky and began to pull on the boxer briefs and jeans that had come right out of the emergency pack, trying to dress as quickly as possible, because _Loki_ – where was his son? Was he alright? He could feel Hulk putting pressure on his chest, and he took a few deep breaths.

“Did we get him?” he asked, voice husky.

Steve turned back to look at him and nodded. “Yeah, we got him. Buck and Tony got him on the jet, and they’re almost back to the Tower. Bucky’s texted me – he’ll keep us updated.” He waited until Bruce had pulled on the tennis shoes, and then turned to walk back towards the car, the other man following him.

Bruce slid into the backseat and wished that he had his phone – once Tony had finally pinpointed the coordinates of where Loki was being held, Bruce had jumped into action, leaving his phone behind in the workshop as the team had assembled. But he just wanted to be there – he wanted to be with his lover and his son, to make sure the boy was okay. And he had regret – regret that it had taken so long for them to find him, that they hadn’t ensured the security in the Tower was to the highest standards.

Wanda turned around in the passenger seat and smiled softly at Bruce. “We’ll be back soon,” she reassured, “but I will not say don’t worry, because I know you too well. I know that won’t help.”

He had to smile a bit at that. “Thanks, Wanda.”

Steve opened the driver’s seat door and sat down, starting the car and handing his phone for Wanda to bring up the GPS (Tony had given him a StarkPhone, but he didn’t know how to use it, not properly). “Juice and fruit are in the cooler, Bruce. Get your blood sugar back to normal.” He started down the road and that was that.

///

When the jet had landed back at the Tower, Loki had been immediately rushed to the medical floor (a necessity for the humans living there, along with Bruce and Tony’s two sons) for a full check-up by Dr. Nagessen, his pediatrician. Loki was completely out of it, half-dozing against Tony’s shoulder, still occasionally crying a bit, rubbing his cheek against the soft cotton of Tony’s t-shirt.

He began to choke again when Tony tried to lay him down on the examination bed, clutching at his shirt, eyes wide.

“I’m not going anywhere, squirt,” he reassured, “I’m right here.”

That didn’t make Loki feel any better, and he clawed at Tony until the man joined him on the small bed, maneuvering until Loki could lie back against his chest while Tony held one of his small hands, soothing him.

Dr. Nagessen walked in and smiled wide at the sight of Loki. “Hello, Loki,” they said, grabbing the stool and sinking down onto it before pushing their self over to the bed. “I know you went through something pretty scary, huh?” Loki, who _adored_ Dr. Nagessen, nodded slowly, sniffling. “I just want to check you over to see what you might need before you go back home with your Daddy, alright?”

“O-Okay,” Loki replied.

Dr. Nagessen went about checking Loki’s vitals before taking a blood sample and sinking back down once again onto their stool and waiting a moment before continuing. “Loki, I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what you ate or drank while you were away?” they asked, wording it very carefully.

Loki took a few moments to answer, burrowing against Tony’s side so an arm was wrapped around him. “Granola bar,” he whispered, “and fruit snacks.”

“Okay. And how many?” Dr. Nagessen asked. Loki held up one finger, and they noted it on their clipboard. “Thank you. And did you drink anything while you were away?” Loki shook his head. “What about going potty? Did you go potty at all?”

The boy sniffled, tears gathering again in his eyes. “I had an accident.”

“That’s okay. Is that the only time you went potty?” Loki nodded, reaching up to rub at his eyes. “Alright. Does anything hurt?”

Loki nodded. “My tummy. And… a-and my…” he blushed, looking away from them. Tony rubbed at Loki’s back. “And my lips. And throat.”

Dr. Nagessen noted everything he said on the clipboard and looked at him to smile. “Well, there are a few things I think we need to make happen now that you’re home again. First, do you think maybe you’d like a bath?” Loki thought for a moment before nodding. “We have a bath down here, right over there in the bathroom. Your Daddy can give you a bath. I know your Uncle is bringing down some things for you, but since your bottom area hurts, I do want to perhaps give you some cream that will help. How does that sound?”

“Okay.” Loki agreed reluctantly.

“And then, once you’re all clean and warm, we can hook up an IV to get some fluids back in you, and get you something light to eat. Okay?”

“Y-Yes. Thank you, Naggie.” Loki’s nickname for the doctor came easily, and Dr. Nagessen smiled widely at him. “Naggie? I’m very, very tired.”

Dr. Nagessen nodded. “That makes sense. You’ve gone through a lot the past few days, and you’re still just a little one, Loki. You’ll perk up in the next couple of days, I promise.”

Loki seemed pleased to hear that. He whined a bit when Tony stood, pulling him up and settling him against his shoulder before heading towards the bathroom.

“Mr. Stark, I’m going to go get that cream for him and set up the IV,” Dr. Nagessen said, slipping the clipboard back into its spot. “Take all the time you need. I’ll direct Mr. Barnes into the room when he arrives.”

“Thanks, Jamie,” Tony replied, turning to look at them, “and please, just call me Tony. We go through this every time.”

Dr. Nagessen laughed. “Alright, Tony.” They turned and walked from the room, leaving Tony and Loki to their own devices.

The bathroom in the examination room was very clinical, but at least there was a decently sized bathtub. Tony sank down onto the bath mat and turned the knobs, adjusting until it was the temperature he knew Loki preferred. Loki sat on his lap while he did so, watching with tired eyes.

“Alright, squirt, let’s get you undressed, yeah?” Tony said, helping the boy stand up. Loki held onto the sink as Tony stripped off his pajamas, and then the soiled underwear, dropping them all as far away from the bathtub as possible. Loki was understandably uncomfortable: he did have quite the rash, and his limbs were stiff from have been cramped in the cage. “Oh squirt, I’m so, so sorry.”

Loki sniffled. “It’s okay, Daddy.” He let Tony lift him up and into the tub, and he let out a hiss when he sat in the water. “It _hurts_ , Daddy.”

“I promise you’ll feel better once you’re clean, Loki.” Tony said. He grabbed at the generic unscented body wash, and moved to get a washcloth from the basket, before slowly began to wash the boy’s body. “Can you move to put your hair in the water, buddy?”

The boy shifted until he could lie down comfortably, and Tony got the shampoo to scrub at his hair before lifting him back into a sitting position.

“Do you want to stay in any longer?” Tony asked. Loki shook his head slowly, and Tony helped him out, wrapping him in a large towel. There was a knock on the bathroom door while Tony was gently drying the boy off. “Come in.”

Bucky opened the door and walked in, still dressed in his grimy tactical suit, but he smiled when he saw Loki. He carried a pile of clothes and the bottle of cream that Jamie (Dr. Nagessen) had handed off to him. “Here you go,” he said, handing them off to Tony. “Oh! And this.” He dug the little bottle of lotion from his pocket and passed that over as well. “I know he always gets lotion after baths.”

Loki blinked up at Bucky and whined.

“I gotta go shower, little man, but I’ll be back to see you in a bit. Everyone wants to check up on you, but they’re waiting on the okay from your Daddy.” Bucky ruffled the boy’s wavy hair. “Tony, Sam is bringing down some soup for him to eat whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Buck. I just want to wait until Bruce gets here.” Tony replied, shrugging a bit. “Thanks for bringing everything down, though. Let everyone know it shouldn’t be too much longer?”

“Will do.” Bucky exited the bathroom and moved back out towards the waiting room.

///

The drive took too long, far too long, in Bruce’s opinion. When they were finally in the private elevator connected to Tony’s parking garage, Bruce hurriedly pressed the button for the medical floor and bounced impatiently on his heels, the pressure again across his chest, clinging. Steve and Wanda didn’t seem to mind his behavior. They had kept up casual conversation with each other in the car, so the silence wouldn’t seep in too sharply.

A moment later, the elevator doors opened, and Bruce walked quickly out and towards the first examination room, pushing the door open in a haste.

Tony was laid out across the examination bed, Loki cuddled up against his side, wrapped in his PJ Masks blanket. He had an IV taped down to his elbow, putting the needed fluids into his small body, and he was fast asleep. Tony looked up when the door opened, and he smiled as much as he could, his heart still aching for the boy.

“Hey,” Bruce breathed out, moving forward to sink down into the chair on Loki’s side of the bed. “How is he?”

“Tired. Very dehydrated.” Tony said, looking down at the boy’s sleeping face. “He has a, uh, very bad diaper rash. Which is fucking _ridiculous_ because he doesn’t even _wear_ those anymore and I-… Bruce, I’m so fucking angry.”

Bruce saw the look on his lover’s face, and he reached out to take Tony’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Tony, I’m angry too. Someone took our baby and hurt him, and we don’t even know the mental and emotional damage this may have caused yet. I’m _so_ angry… but baby, we can’t afford to be angry right now. We have to take care of our boy. Okay?”

Tony stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Okay.”


	3. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki struggles with nightmares and lack of sleep. A surprise visitor shows up to support Loki and the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think y'all can realize now why I only write fluff: it's what I'm good at! I'm not good at writing heavy angst. I apologize if this is even more OOC than usual, but I'm so bad at this. Ugh. Thank you for all the love so far though! It truly helps. <3 
> 
> -Kath
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions made.

The examination room really wasn’t big enough for the entire super family, but they tried their best. They were sitting on the floor and leaning against walls. Tony had taken up a chair beside Bruce beside the bed, because Peter had stormed in before anyone else, still angry that he hadn’t been allowed along on the mission to save his baby brother.

Peter was curled up on the examination bed with Loki cuddled against his chest, IV still in. He had not taken too long of a nap, his stomach rumbling waking him up. Sam had brought him down chicken noodle soup, one of Loki’s favorite foods, and Tony was bringing each spoonful up to the boy’s mouth.

“When is he allowed to blow this popsicle stand?” Bucky asked. He and Steve were stood beside one another, leaning against the wall.

“I really would prefer to keep him overnight,” Jamie said, “but I know he is eager to get home. If he eats a little more, he can go upstairs. But I do want to come up and check on him every day for the next three days, and I want you to keep a record of how much water he’s drinking, and his bathroom activity. Alright?”

Bruce nodded. “Perfect. Thank you so much, Jamie.”

“No problem.” Jamie checked the IV once more. “Finish all that soup, little one.”

Loki blinked at them and smiled carefully. “Okay.”

Rhodey cleared his throat and stood up slowly. “Alright. Tone, I’m gonna go upstairs and get stuff set up for him in the den, yeah? Dokey, that sound good to you?” Loki nodded, smiling at his uncle. “Good stuff. Steve, Bucky, come help me?”

“I’ll come too,” Wanda said, standing and shaking out her skirt. “Vision is upstairs anyways, and he is surely anxious to hear how Loki is faring. I shall see you in a bit.”

///

Loki wore his favorite space pajamas: they were soft, decorated with different planets and stars. Pepper had arrived, bringing with her several pairs of pastel fuzzy socks – he chose to pull on the pink and yellow striped ones, and he delighted in curling his toes against the material.

He was sat in the middle of the large sectional in the den. Bruce was on one side of him, Tony on the other. Family members were spread out all over the room, some moving between the den and the kitchen. Peter, cuddled against Tony's other side, was already asleep. Tony was rubbing his fingers through the teenager's hair, other arm wrapped around Loki, hand on his stomach.

 _The Good Dinosaur_ was playing on the large television, which gave Loki a reprieve from the thoughts that continued to cycle through his mind. He could focus, instead, entirely on the movie, and the warmth of the bodies around him. He had a full belly, from the soup and all the water he had been drinking.

When Tony and Bruce conked out, Loki crawled out of his spot between them, and crawled until he was on Natasha’s lap, his feet pressed against Thor’s thigh, head resting against Sam’s chest. He let out a shaky sigh and flinched a bit when Natasha began to wrap the blanket around him, but then he relaxed, letting his achy body settle, popping a thumb into his mouth before falling asleep.

///

_Loki was back in his cage. No, that wasn’t right – why was he there? He let out a shaky breath and wriggled until he could clench the cold metal bars. He was back in his cage: it was that smell of too-clean floors, the taste of blood on his tongue from licking cracked lips…_

_“Hello?” he screamed, voice hoarse. “Daddy? Papa?”_

_He was back in his cage, and no one was going to save him. He began to thrash back and forth, trying to move the cage, trying to escape. “Let me out!” he screamed. “Let me out! Daddy! Papa!”_

“Loki,” Natasha soothed, holding onto the shoulders of the thrashing, flailing boy on her lap. “Loki, it’s time to wake up. You need to wake up now.”

The sleeping boy was sobbing, gasping for air, and Natasha ended up pinning him to the couch, just so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Thor looked completely horrified, sitting by the boy’s feet. His expression was shared by most everyone in the room. When Bruce finally woke, blinking, his eyes caught on what was happening and he moved into action, pushing towards the boy and urging Natasha back and away from him.

“Bug, it’s time to wake up now.” Bruce said softly. He pressed his hands to Loki’s cheeks. “Open your eyes. Wake up now.”

Loki jerked awake then, dark hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and he grabbed at Bruce, who gathered him to his chest and rubbed his back.

Bucky was shaking, eyes wide, and he glanced between Bruce and Steve. “What are we going to do to help him?”

“Time,” Tony croaked out. “He needs time.”

///

It continued for several days. Loki would fall asleep for longer than an hour or so, and he would have to be woken up from thrashing and screaming, tears rolling down the boy’s cheeks. He was constantly exhausted, always cuddled up to someone. Talking was hard for Loki during that period, so he chose to be silent most of the time.

When a week had passed since he had returned home, and he had been physically cleared by Jamie (Dr. Nagessen), another family member came for a surprise visit.

Phil was sat at the booth in the kitchen with a full cup of coffee. Loki saw him and his eyes widened, surprised. Uncle Phil hardly ever visited – he was very busy with his work at SHIELD, and Loki understood that. Every visit was like a special treat.

“Hey buddy,” Phil said, smiling wide. “You wanna come sit by me and chat for a while?” Loki considered his request and moved slowly over to climb up onto the seat beside him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. I was on a very top-secret mission, and I didn’t have my personal phone on me. But Skye let me know as soon as we were back in the air.” He took a sip of his coffee and slid the mug back onto the table. “Your Daddy mentioned to me that you haven’t felt much for talking. Do you think maybe you might like to talk to me?”

Loki had to think about it for a moment. “Okay,” he whispered. He bit his bottom lip and turned a little to look better at Phil, who was smiling at him. “You came here to see me?”

“Of course I did. Did you know that you and Peter are my favorite nephews?” Phil replied.

“Uncle Phil, we’re your only nephews.” Loki replied cheekily.

“Still… doesn’t mean you can’t be my favorites. Loki, buddy, do you wanna tell me about what happened while you were away?” Phil asked gently.

Loki played with the hem of his t-shirt. There was a hole forming, and he could almost fit his finger through it. “Uh huh,” he said.

Phil nodded. “Alright. Why don’t you start with what you remember, and we’ll go from there.”

“I…” Loki let out a shaky sigh. “I woke up, and I was… I was in a cage.” Loki looked up at Phil, who still had a soft, kind look on his face, which made Loki relax. “I had an accident and I was really cold. I didn’t know what was going on, so I started… I started calling out for D-Daddy and Pa-Papa, because that’s what I’m supposed to do when I’m scared and upset. But nobody came for me.”

“Did that scare you?” Phil asked.

Loki nodded. “It wasn’t so bad at first. But then… I dunno, I started to think that Daddy and Papa didn’t want me anymore.” He sniffled, reaching up to rub at his eyes. “I thought that maybe they gave me to those guys because they didn’t want their Loki anymore.”

Phil reached down to take one of Loki’s hands in his own, and squeezed gently. “Loki, your Daddy and Papa love you very much. I’ve heard from your other Aunts and Uncles just how hard they tried to find you, and how happy they were to get you back. Do you know how much they love you?”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” Phil replied. “Loki, what you went through is what adults would call _traumatic_. Do you know what that means?” Loki shook his head. “It means very scary. I know that you’ve been having nightmares about what happened while you were away, and I want you to know that that’s normal. I know that you might be feeling embarrassed or upset, but you will feel better. It will take time, but you will feel better.” Phil took another drink of his coffee. “How are you feeling about everything?”

Loki had to think about that. “Scared. But I’m happy that I’m home.”

“I’m happy you’re home, too. Now hey, do you wanna make some chocolate chip pancakes with me?” Phil asked, pulling Loki into his lap and standing up. Loki squealed happily, laughs pouring from his mouth. “Now _that’s_ the noise I like to hear.”


	4. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is learning to deal - family helps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnd we're done! Thank you SO much for riding this story out with me! I want to do more chaptered fics for this universe, but I'm in desperate need of prompts! Send in anything you want to be written, either here or on Tumblr @kath-uh-rinn :)
> 
> Thank you,  
> Kath
> 
> UPDATE (1/13/19): Minor edits and revisions made.

Without being asked, Bucky was the one who took to helping Loki work through his nighttime issues. Bucky, who had been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after finally returning to be with Steve and live in the Tower, often had nightmares as well.

So, they began a routine.

Loki and Bucky would meet in the living room, where there was room to lay out yoga mats. Bucky had a dedicated nighttime yoga routine, which he taught to Loki over the course of a few nights. It was meant to tire Loki out, relax his muscles, and prepare him for an attempt at sleep. Of course, Loki was still usually passing out in the den, in Bruce and Tony’s bed, or tucked in with Peter. He had yet to try and fall asleep by himself, and he was not quite ready to try.

He stretched out across the yoga mat after falling out of his child’s pose and let out a yawn, blinking up at the ceiling.

“You ready for your nighttime tea, bug?” Bruce asked from the doorway.

Loki hummed for a moment. “Okay.” He slowly stood up and padded towards the kitchen, Bucky following close behind.

They sat together at the booth, hands wrapped around mugs smelling of lavender and vanilla. Loki leaned against Bucky’s side and yawned again and again, toes curling. Once the tea was finished, Bucky hoisted him up and took him towards the bathroom, so the boy could relieve himself and scrub at his teeth.

His play tent was already set up in the den, the inside piled with blankets and pillows. Tony was sitting inside, typing out on a text on his phone. He smiled wide when Loki crawled into the tent to curl up beside him.

“Thanks for all the help, Buck,” Tony said.

“It’s no problem.” Bucky leaned down to brush a kiss against Loki’s cheek. “See you in the morning, silly pig.”

Loki yawned. “G’night, Uncle Bucky.” He curled into Tony’s side and tucked his thumb into his mouth, eyes fluttering shut.

Tony ran his fingers through the boy’s hair and let himself sink back against the pile of pillows. True, the reason they were camping out in the den was less than stellar, but Tony would enjoy his time with his younger son no matter the circumstances. It didn’t take him long to fall into sleep as well, snoring softly.

///

Loki jerked away three hours later, gasping for air. Tony tightened the arm he had wrapped around the boy and soothed him, turning him so he could press his face to Tony’s chest. It took him a few minutes to calm himself, Tony rubbing his back in a continuous motion. Eventually he slumped completely against his Daddy and let himself fall back asleep.

///

When Loki woke up at 5:30 a.m. he found his Daddy still fast asleep. He moved carefully out from under the blankets and crawled out of the tent. The penthouse was quiet – Loki figured there was a good chance he was the only one awake, and he needed to go potty, and he was so _hungry_. Loki wasn’t supposed to get food by himself, because he could hurt himself. Maybe one of the other Avengers was awake?

He walked over near the elevator. “Fri,” he voiced, “is any of my family awake?”

FRIDAY responded. “ _Mr. Thor Odinson on floor fifty-seven is awake, sir._ ”

“Can you ask him if I can come have breakfast?” Loki questioned.

A few moments passed easily. “ _Mr. Odinson is prepared to host you for breakfast, sir._ ” The elevator doors slid open. “ _Elevator, sir._ ”

Loki stepped onto the elevator and held onto the railing as the doors slid shut, the whoosh of air sounding around him before _ding_ , the doors were sliding open again, and there was Thor, grinning at him.

“Hello, little brother,” he said, leaning down and catching Loki in a tight hug. The boy giggled happily and kicked his feet. “The Lady FRIDAY informed me that you are hungry. Would you like some breakfast? Lady Jane is in the kitchen, and we have frozen waffles.”

Loki smiled. “I like frozen waffles.”

“I know you do. I remember quite the feast last time we broke fast together.” Thor carried Loki down the hallway and into the kitchen. Jane was sat at the table, steaming cup of coffee in front of her. “Lady Jane, look who decided to join us for breakfast.”

Jane smiled sleepily at Loki. “Hey kiddo. You wanna come sit by me while Thor gets our waffles ready?”

Loki squirmed until Thor set him down on the ground, and he ran over to climb up onto Jane’s lap, reaching for her coffee cup.

“Nuh uh, mister. I don’t think your Daddy and Papa would like or appreciate that very much.” Jane said, pushing the coffee back and out of his reach. “Thor, could grab Loki a cup of juice, please?”

“Of course!” Thor boomed. He grabbed Loki’s special cup from the cupboard and filled it with orange juice before bringing it back over to the table.

While Thor went about toasting every waffle they had in the freezer (three whole boxes, my goodness), Jane and Loki played with Snapchat on her phone, sending several cute selfies to Peter, Darcy, and Wanda.

“I miss Auntie Darcy,” Loki said with a sigh, “when is she coming back?”

Jane smiled. “I miss her too. But honey, she really likes California, so I’m not sure if she’s ever going to want to move back here. She may visit though. I know she misses you.” Jane hugged the boy close.

Thor set the plate of waffles on the table. “Let us feast!” he declared.

And so they did.

///

Loki was delivered upstairs a few hours later, after he ate his weight in freezer waffles and was cleaned up by Jane. They had played two rounds of Sorry! before Tony texted Jane, checking to make sure Loki was still on their floor with them. And then Loki had asked to go home.

Bruce and Tony were waiting for him in the kitchen. Peter was sat at the booth, working on homework with his earbuds on. Loki guessed Mozart – Peter had been listening to a lot of Mozart lately. Papa had already started on lunch – it smelled like quiche.

Loki shuffled over to Bruce and held his arms up, whining. Bruce lifted him happily, pressing kisses all over his face.

“Papa,” he said softly, “you and Daddy love me lots, don’t you?”

Bruce had an expression of surprise for a moment, but then he smiled. “We do.”

Tony reached over to ruffle Loki’s hair. “We love you to the moon and back, squirt.”

And Loki? He believed them.


End file.
